Your John Deere and Allied brand equipment is always in high demand. Whether it’s a complete tractor or parts, the chances are that another collector, hobbyist or restorer is searching for exactly what you have to offer. Of course, there is no one that can tell you when a particular machine or part is going to sell. Obviously this is determined by demand, the popularity of where your classified ad is placed, the equipment that is being offered, its overall condition, and to a growing degree, its location and the asking price.

  Most of us are already quite familiar with the Internet and all the major search engines that we can use to sell and find used equipment and parts dealers all across the country. Most of these are the auction websites, which in addition to tractor parts, are competing to sell everything from used banana peels to the Edison phonograph. A little later on I will discuss the pros and cons of many of these websites. But for now, let me just say that when you need a part, you need a part. Generally not much thought is given at that point as to where the part is found. Where you source the part from may not be the leading concern at the time you acquire it, but you may want to examine the transaction a bit closer once the need is met and the item is secured.

In addition to the Internet, you may have local sources that may have what you need sitting right on the shelf. However, this is a rare occurrence when you’re dealing with machines that average thirty years plus since they were showroom new. But you never know! I personally have been amazed at what some independent dealers still have in their inventory just waiting for someone to ask them for it. This does not mean it’s going to be a steal. Dealers know what they have and know far better than the average person its rarity and value. And unless you have an Uncle Vinny in the business, you should always be ready and willing to pay a fair market price for an item. One of the best sources for finding parts is to develop your very own network of like-minded hobbyists and websites that are dedicated to a particular machine brand and era.

If you were going to sell your car, you would list it in the classified “Auto for Sale” section of your local newspaper. Maybe you would put it on your front lawn with a “For Sale” sign on it and the necessary descriptive information. And more likely than not, you would have cleaned it up, emptied out the trunk, and spent a weekend bringing that clear coat paint job up to standards. You might even try to put it on one of the auction sites, but that could cost you hundreds of dollars in fees beyond what is necessary. You would get the word out to friends, family, and co-workers that your fine car is for sale! The bottom line is you place your advertising in the most popular places that buyers look to find a pre owned vehicle. And of course you want to use the most cost effective way to sell your car so that you get to pocket as much of the proceeds as possible!

It’s no different when it comes to selling off an entire collection of equipment or just one small part which may be no more than a spring, but it happens to be the spring no longer made and you own it!

Typically, the best places to list machines and parts are on websites that are dedicated to the brand or model of what you are trying to sell. These “dedicated sites” as I will call them, may not have the largest registered member list or daily casual visitors, or be on page one of the search engine hunt, or not exactly a household word. However, what they do have and do attract are exactly the market audience that has an interest in your merchandise. Simply put, everyone who looks at the classified section on a dedicated collectors site is searching for and in need of a particular item. They are not hunting through hundreds of ads that are in no way related to their needs.

Of course, not everyone who is visiting that dedicated site’s classified ads will be looking for the item you are selling. However, even if they are not, it increases your exposure and the chance of a sale. I have often purchased items other than the one I was looking for. I made the purchase based on a future need. Many restorers and collectors must stay well ahead of their parts needs due to the time it takes to locate many of the items typically needed on a project. I’ve also made buys for friends that were searching for a part. If it’s not a direct sale, you still get the exposure as a source for future needs. You would be surprised at how many visitors will save your contact information call upon you in the future to see if you have what they can use.

Beyond dedicated websites, there are the auction websites and a few others that are well known. The auction websites pride themselves on being global operations. And while you certainly can offer your merchandise globally, do you really want to ship a complete tractor to the other side of the world, or a four hundred pound engine to the Arctic Circle? If you are an independent collector/hobbyist, are you set up to perform such a transaction? You may want to limit the geographic scope of your selling. Anyway I’m not so sure how much of a market there might be in the Arctic Circle for a Model 110 transaxle!

Auction sites pride themselves on the tremendous exposure they give to sellers and buyers. No doubt this is a valuable asset. The real consideration again, for any seller, is how big the target audience is for your items. If one thousand people walk into your shop that sells kitchen wares, but nine hundred and ninety nine of these customers are only interested in bed sheets, it does you absolutely no good to spend time, money and effort to attract a lot of lookers that are never going to be buyers!  

While there are many choices as to where you can advertise your merchandise, you would be far better off if you select a venue that has the strongest market forces for what you are selling. And don’t lose sight of the old adage “You need to spend money to make money”. If you select marketing strategies that are going to chip away at your bottom line, you may get your sale, but it will leave you with a lot less than you anticipated. Be aware of all fee policies for every aspect of your transaction. Fees for services that are in the fine print can take you very close to being in the red. The simple reality of selling anything is this. It’s not so much the price you achieved, or the rapid sale of the item. It’s how much you get to keep after all the expense is paid and accounted for. If you sell a $10.00 item and it costs you only $3.00 in selling expense, you have made a gross profit of 70%. If you sell the same $10.00 item, but it costs you $6.00 in selling expense, your gross profit is now down to 40%. You do the math.

Tell people what you want for a particular item. Do your homework and set a price based on demand or rarity of an item. Is the item still available new and at what cost? What is the condition of your item? New old stock, used but still has service life, used but at the end of the road, damaged, selling refurbished or full of dirt, grease and rust. These are all conditions that affect the selling price. Do your research and please, please, please, be honest and forthcoming in your description. I guarantee you will sell faster, sell more often, and build up a network of friends and enthusiasts that you could have never imagined possible.  

Always answer to the best of your ability any questions a buyer has for you. Remember you and the buyer have a need. Yours is the need to sell and the buyer has a need for what you are selling. Many times a buyer may not be concerned with the condition of a part. Many parts are needed to complete a restoration, but the restored equipment may be only for show or project completion, or for very light occasional duty. That’s why you must describe your item accurately in all aspects because a damaged or worn part may have absolutely no bearing on its future use. However, you should make an effort to clean up, paint or freshen up any parts prior to listing them. This will allow you to examine the part for any hidden flaws, wear or damage. It’s hard to see under thirty years of caked on, rock hard, grease and dirt. This will allow you to evaluate the item fully and show the customer you really care about your equipment.  

Next, set the asking price. This does a number of things. It signals the buyer that there is a level of value to the item and that level of value is reflected in the asking price. We are all sensitive to price / value ratios. When an item is accurately described, if your asking price if properly set, it will not be an issue. Be realistic in prices as well. Why would anyone pay a price for an old part if there were a new one for the same price? If you price your used item as if it were new, chances are it will not sell. If you feel you can’t live with the fair value of a part, there is a way around that problem. It’s called NOT FOR SALE.

Many people these days, are trying to make up the shortfall in the selling price by charging outrageous amounts of money to ship an item. If you visit the auction sites you will see this on just about any item sold with little exception. And when you’re shipping steel, this can become an extreme expense and total turn off to any prospective buyers. If I buy an item for one dollar that weighs only two ounces, but I must pay the seller $15.00 to send it to me, it’s a deal killer. Especially if the seller is living in the same country as I am and we all know what the real price is. If you need to treat postage and handling as a profit center or an additional add-on sale, you may have a difficult time in selling anything.

You should by all means cover your cost in shipping an item. Find out the shipping methods available for the item. USPS, UPS, FedEx, and Airborne are common carrier services. Get all necessary quotes and estimates. Then if you must, add in any other expenses for shipping supplies, like tape, boxes, crating services, etc. Also if there really is handling, that is, you’re going to spend a lot of time building a crate or packaging up an item, then you should be entitled to a REASONABLE compensation. If your idea of reasonable is an extra fifty bucks to drive the mile to the post office you may have a problem. Basically, the buyer must cover your shipping expense and buyers know this. But buyers also know when you are gouging them. If you need to make money on shipping, the only advice I can give you is to examine why. Legitimate shipping costs are dramatically increasing all on their own due to the current state of affairs with energy cost. If you going to unnecessarily add to a buyer’s cost burden by turning an already costly but usually necessary expense into a add-on sale or profit center, you probably will be doing no more than shooting yourself in the foot.